Inmates Need Some Information

The state Department of Correction is legitimately concerned that inmates will obtain sensitive documents by requesting them from other agencies under Connecticut's Freedom of Information Act.

A convicted murderer, after all, was able to secure a detailed map of the Northern Correctional Institution in Somers by making a freedom-of-information request to the state Department of Public Health. Criminals have even tried to get the tax records and home addresses of their guards.

But correction officials have chosen the wrong way to allay their fear that a freedom-of-information request eventually will lead to a breach of prison security. They have proposed a bill to limit an inmate's right to information.

Public documents should not be withheld from prisoners who need them for legitimate reasons, such as preparing an appeal or other legal motions. Besides, a blanket rule applied to inmates isn't going to prevent their relatives or friends from obtaining the desired material.

The Department of Correction instead should identify those records that are truly sensitive and have them classified as confidential. Existing laws already exempt certain documents from freedom-of-information rules. The exempted matter includes personnel records, information on pending lawsuits and the names and addresses of ``at risk'' state employees such as judges, police officers, prison guards and prosecutors.

What's more, state prisons screen all mail sent to inmates. Some correction officials may find mail-screening to be a nuisance, but it has been effective in weeding out the very material they want to keep from inmates. No prisoner has yet to escape by using information obtained through an FOI request. Correction officials want to make sure it stays that way.